Chapter-15: Beneath The Full Moon
Ten kilometers into the woods, Chuey and Diego arrived at the lake. Tall mountainous peaks surrounded the pristine body of water on three sides. Various heights of dark pine trees sloped upward, intermingling with the surrounding cliffs. From above, the sun remained fixed, while the lake glistened under its perpetual high noon shine. And, like a mirror, the placid lake reflected detailed puffy clouds, green pines and mountain peaks.
Large boulders littered the bottom of the crystal-clear lakebed. Small and medium-sized blue fish skittered about in clusters of schools. They swam within a dance, in repeated waves and dips.
Chuey circled in front of Diego and looked at the lake, and said, “Attach the gold trim line to your staff, Guerrero.”
Diego inspected the ends of the staff. He discovered two small cylindrical holes that he could use to thread and attach the fish line to. He finished attaching the line quickly and waited.
“Don’t move,” said Chuey. He shot an orange light from his eyes onto the staff and onto the gold trim line, for a few seconds. “Go on, cast the line into the water and catch us a little fish. It’s very simple, very simple.”
Diego looked at his staff. The gold fishing line had quadrupled in length. And, at the end of the extended gold line, there dangled a jagged platinum hook in the shape of a shrimp. The heavy lure extended to twice the size of Diego’s fist and sparkled in the light.
Diego reached back and threw the platinum hook into the lake as he gripped the osmium staff tight. And, in the process of launching the hook into the air, he lifted his leg and planted his foot forward into a lunge. The platinum lure skipped across the water, plopped on the surface and sank into the clear water.
A short walk along the water’s edge, and Diego sat down under the shade of a large maple tree. He settled on a thick raised tree root, balanced his staff off to his right side and enjoyed the sweet smells around him.
Caught between peace and surrender, Diego wondered how long before a fish would bite his hook. He stared at his fishing line and at the minor ripples it created on the lake. He guessed it would take a while.
Chuey hovered in front of Diego and said: “It won’t take long. That’s a special fishing line and lure attached to your staff. Better to stand up, much better if you stand.”
Diego rocked on his rear and thought of remaining seated. He sighed and leaned forward, gripping the staff for balance as he stood. A short yawn and he maneuvered the staff in his hands. In between passes, the line whipped and pulled taut, making a vibrating swirl sound similar to a plucked guitar string.
In a blink, the staff slipped out of Diego’s hands, flying along the lake’s shore. Straight away, he lunged for the staff, caught it mid air and belly flopped hard onto the ground. The tremendous pull yanked at his arms and dragged him across the water’s edge.
Diego plowed along the shoreline trying to stand, dipping in and out of the water. His shoulder smacked into a raised tree root, holding him in place. He strained and managed to stand, leaning back into a wide squat stance. “A little fish?” he asked as he turned from the shoreline and grunted into a slow walk from the lake.
Thank you
I appreciate your time in reading this blog post. Next Monday I will upload the next part of Chapter fifteen, Beneath The Full Moon, from my first novel: Guerrero of Passions.
Total Consciousness 